How Anakin Solo Got His Name
by jublke
Summary: A terrifying experience shakes the Solo-Skywalker family before the birth of Han and Leia's third child. Set in my AU version of the original Star Wars EU. Spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. [not complete]
1. Chapter 1

This story is set in my AU version of the original Star Wars EU. It is a companion story to _Night Blind_ , and fits in after Chapter 14. However, you don't need to read that story to understand this one. Spoilers for _Star Wars: The Force Awakens_.

My thanks to my beta-readers, 2Old4This2 and StatsGrandma57. Any remaining errors are mine. Oh, and I don't own any of this!

* * *

Ambassador Leia Organa-Solo sat at the kitchen table, unable to sleep. Her work schedule had been drastically reduced as she neared the end of her second pregnancy, but one problem remained. The New Republic was in the middle of negotiations with a new planetary system, and Mon Mothma was leaning hard on Leia to seal the deal before the baby was born.

Something about the newcomers wasn't sitting well with the princess, but she was having a hard time putting her finger on it. Mothma was tolerant of Leia developing her Jedi powers - particularly if she could add a layer of insight to the New Republic's negotiations - but telling the woman that she had a bad feeling about this wasn't going to fly. Leia needed to pinpoint the source of her discomfort and this was proving elusive.

Mothma, Leia knew, could be blinded by power and money. The older woman was eager to accept Yensid into the New Republic largely because they were a wealthy planetary system. Leia's concern was that they had stipulated two conditions to their acceptance. One, Yensid wanted to change the name of the fledgling Rebel government to the First Order, and two, the Jedi training facility had to be relocated from Coruscant to the Outer Rim.

Much to Leia's surprise, Luke had shown excitement at the idea of moving his beloved school. "I've had nothing but problems with the contractors here on Coruscant. We're way behind schedule for opening as it is," Luke had explained. "If we move, Mon Mothma says that Yensid is willing to double the size of the new Jedi training facility and more than triple our operating budget. Just think of how many Force sensitives we could teach if we only had the resources to find them!"

Leia had frowned at her brother, feeling a peculiar distance starting to form between them. "You told us just a few months ago how important it was for Han to teach with you at the Academy. How can he do that if you move to the Outer Rim?"

The sandy blond had shaken his head with a laugh. "The future is always in motion, Leia."

Recalling the conversation now, Leia had the chills. She tried to wrap her soft housecoat more tightly around her body, but at seven months pregnant, it was a futile gesture. She padded across the cold tile in her bare feet to make a cup of tea when she heard a strangled cry and a thud.

"Han!" She rushed into the master bedroom to find her husband on the floor, tangled in the bedsheets. "Are you all right?"

Han had his hand to his chest, his face contorted in pain. Wordlessly, he shook his head. Leia had just lifted her comm to her mouth to alert the closest Medcenter when there was a pounding on the front door of the apartment.

"Han! Leia!" She could hear Luke's urgent insistence screaming through her mind as well as her ears, but her eyes never left her husband's face. Han gasped, his breathing raspy and irregular, and Leia realized that somehow, the short fall from the bed to the floor had knocked the wind out of him. Slowly, the deathly, waxy white of his cheeks faded as his skin returned to its normal color, and Leia released a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding. _He must have had a nightmare_ , she realized.

Han nodded at her, an unspoken agreement that they should get the door. It wasn't even daybreak yet; Luke was bound to wake the rest of the household with his incessant pounding. Leia closed her eyes and sent her brother a quick mental rebuke - _You're going to wake the twins!_ \- and he ceased his frantic knocking.

But Luke continued to probe her mind, urgent and frightened. _I need to see you and Han right now,_ he insisted.

Han seemed to understand the urgency. With effort, he rose from the knot of blankets and strode out of the bedroom, heading straight for the front door. Leia placed a hand on her belly; the baby kicked back as if he, too, had something urgent to say. Hearing Han curse as he stumbled over one of the twin's toys in the living room, Leia grabbed his glasses from the nightstand. She picked up the quilt at the foot of their bed too. Since his imprisonment in carbonite, Han was always cold after a nightmare; they seemed to trigger tremors and chills.

Leia walked down the hall to find her brother and Han locked in an emotional embrace.

"I was so frightened, Han. I thought I'd lost you." Luke's voice was choked with anguish as he clung to his brother-in-law.

"It's okay, kid. I'm right here." Han, Leia realized, might be the steadier of the two, but he was clearly fighting back tears as well. It was as if the two men had been on a private, painful journey through the nine hells of Corellia. Leia shuddered. _What had happened?_

As Luke drew back, Leia could see tears glittering in the corners of his eyes. "I've never had a Force vision that seemed so real before, Han. Are you sure you're all right?"

Han's slow nods of yes gradually turned into a head shake. "I don't know," he admitted. Leia and Luke shared a look of panic and Leia could feel her heart begin to race. _What if it wasn't a nightmare? Maybe Han had a heart attack!_

"We should get you to a Medcenter, Han." Luke voiced what Leia was thinking.

The Corellian shook his head, a hand to his chest. "I think I just fell on something." He lifted his sleep tunic to reveal a jagged red and purple bruise snaking up his body from his abdomen to his torso.

Luke stumbled. "Kylo-" he began.

"Ren," Han finished, wide-eyed.

The two men stared at each other.

Han found his voice first. "We need to talk, Luke."


	2. Chapter 2

My thanks to StatsGrandma57 and 2Old4This2 for beta-reading. You gals rock! Any remaining errors are mine.

Not mine, don't own, please don't sue.

I appreciate the follows & favorites for this story. My thanks to Mel, knitzkampf, Guest, YellinYee, StatsGrandma57, WeylandCorp 4, JainaSolo, and lunarchroniclesandcockatiels for your comments on the previous chapter. I've got at least one more chapter planned, maybe two.

If you are curious about my other _Star Wars_ (EU prior to TFA / AU) stories, this piece falls between chapters 14 and 15 of _Night Blind._

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Despite being seven months pregnant, Leia was on her feet, making tea for Han, Luke, and herself. Since Luke's unexpected arrival in the wee hours of the morning, the two men seemed unable to do much besides stare at each other. Leia hoped the soothing ritual of drinking tea would calm their nerves. Although she had often observed her brother when he was excited or emotional, she had seldom, if ever, seen Han this upset. He was quite pale and kept clutching his chest, as if to assure himself that his body was still there. Luke stayed in constant physical contact with Han, resting a hand on his arm, squeezing his shoulder, touching his knee. For once, Han didn't pull away. Frankly, this concerned Leia more than any of his physical symptoms.

Neither man wanted to talk until the twins were out of the apartment. Given the early hour, Leia had activated C-3PO and had him wake Chewie. Rousing the Wookiee was usually Han's job, but Leia didn't think he could take any more stress at the moment. Chewbacca was not a morning being, and had been known to growl and take a swipe at Han before he was fully awake.

Chewie and C-3PO took the toddlers to the Falcon. Normally, Han would have protested his ship being used as a daycare center, with sticky fingers marking every surface and little feet running amok in his ship, but now, he scarcely seemed to care. Leia called into work, leaving a message for Mon Mothma that Han was ill and that she needed to take a sick day. How much of that story was true she didn't know, but something was definitely wrong with Han.

Once Leia had poured the tea, giving Luke a healthy dash of blue milk, the three adult humans sat down at the kitchen table. When the men just continued to stare at each other over the tops of their teacups, Leia found herself assuming the familiar role of diplomat.

"Luke, Han, it's clear that something unusual occurred last night." She reached across the table and grasped their hands. "But we are all here now." She sat back and turned to her brother. "Luke, would you care to start?"

The sandy blond gulped. "I think it would be best if Han told us what he remembers."

The former spacer clutched his chest protectively and frowned at his brother-in-law. "Of course you can't say anything. You weren't even there, Luke!" He glanced at Leia. "Luke here was off sulking on some backwater planet." Han thrust an accusatory finger at the younger man. "I could have used your help out there, you know." He folded his arms and glowered across the table. "I never shoulda let you teach me how to meditate," he muttered.

"Han, this is not my fault!" Luke's blue eyes grew wide as his face reddened.

"Well, it sure as hell ain't mine!"

"Boys!" Both men turned toward Leia, who gave them a stern look. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"

Han thrust a shoulder toward Luke. "The kid here hijacked my dreams and took me on a nightmare through the ninth hell of Corellia. I barely survived the trip." He rubbed his chest again.

Luke gave Leia an imploring look. "That is not what happened."

As Han glared at him, Leia prompted, "So, what did happen, Luke?"

Her brother took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "I know this is hard to believe, Leia, but Han and I shared a Force vision of the future."

The seasoned diplomat blinked at her brother as her mouth dropped open.

Han shook his head. "No way. That sniveling punk bastard couldn't have been my son." And yet, as he snarled the words at Luke, Leia saw tears gathering in the corners of Han's eyes.

"Our son?" she asked, patting her belly protectively. The baby gave her a firm kick in reply.

"Kylo Ren, he called himself." Han shook his head and spoke in a low voice, stripped of emotion. "He was worse than Darth Vader." He wrapped his arms around his body and Leia noticed that he was trembling. Realizing she had forgotten to give him the quilt, Leia hurried into the living room. She returned to wrap the warm blanket around her husband's shoulders. Ever since carbon freeze, Han had difficulty regulating his body temperature, especially at night. It was worse when he was upset.

"What else do you remember, Han?" Leia asked, taking his hand in hers as she sat down. With her other hand, she lifted the tea cup to her lips.

"We were standing on a metal bridge, over a deep pit. I was reaching my hand out to him, trying to get him to return home. He was all we had left. Our other children ..." Han swallowed, hard. "We didn't have any other children left. Just him. Just Ben."

Leia dropped the cup; it clattered to the table with a splash. "Did you say Ben?"

The baby gave a vigorous kick.

Han nodded and mopped up the spill with the sleeve of his tunic. "He ... He killed our other children, Leia. He killed a lot of people." Han shook his head, not even trying to pretend that his eyes weren't watery. "He was a monster, Leia. A monster. He destroyed our family, destroyed our relationship. You and I were barely on speaking terms. But I still loved him. He was our son. Even after -" Han rubbed his chest and blinked back tears, unable to continue.

As Han removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, Leia gripped her husband's hand tightly and looked to Luke for clarification. Her brother was surprisingly calm.

"Kylo Ren killed Han on that bridge, Leia," Luke said quietly. "He ran him through with a light saber and threw his body into an endless pit."

A fear deeper than anything Leia had ever experienced before gripped her and held tight. It was as if the dark side of the Force was coiling itself around her family. Shaking, she stood and pulled up Han's tunic. The jagged purple and red bruise was still there, running up and down his torso like a demonic lightning bolt. She stumbled on her feet, swaying precariously, and both men jumped up to grab her arms for support.

"Leia, honey, I think you'd better lay down." Han and Luke led her to the sofa. Han took the quilt from his shoulders and placed it over his wife.

Leia's eyes were bigger than a newborn nerf's. "B-b-but Ben." She looked up at Han. "That's the name we chose for this baby."


End file.
